Coping strategies of single parents to young adults’ substance misuse in small-scale mining communities in Ghana

Abstract

Substance misuse among young adults is increasingly becoming a public health concern in Ghana's small-scale mining communities, especially among young miners, where socioeconomic vulnerabilities and limited access to support services intensify the issue. While there is evidence on the challenges that families face because of young adults' substance misuse, there is limited evidence on the strategies they use to cope with them. This study aims to explore the coping strategies used by single female parents of young adults misusing substances in small-scale mining communities of southwestern Ghana. Fourteen participants were purposively selected to take part in in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings were analyzed thematically. The mean age of participants was 54.6 years. Findings revealed three main coping strategies that were used by the parents: parental monitoring, resorting to spirituality, and informal support networks. Study implications include having parent-support groups, providing psychoeducation to parents, and implementing anti stigma campaigns to enhance help seeking attitudes.